Encounters with biomedicine : case studies in medical anthropology /

This consists of 14 original case studies divided into 4 sections: health services, problems, and policy; international visitors and the American health scene; physician-patient relationships; and applications and research by medical anthropologists in clinical settings. With one exception (a study of a rural clinic in Mexico) every case study deals with some facet of the American health care scene. The context can be contrasted with its classic predecessor, Health, Culture, and Community, ed. by Benjamin D. Paul (1955), which drew case studies from a wide range of societies. Each case includes descriptive narrative, analysis, and commentary, including discussion of theoretical and/or practical implications. Moreover, most studies attempt to link their microlevel data to broad macrolevel considerations. Every study is well organized and well written. This is a valuable teaching and research resource for professionals and advanced students in health fields and the social sciences. -E. Wellin, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee